A Price is Paid
by Accretion
Summary: Max always had a third choice


Nathan Prescott barged into the bathroom for the first time (again), ranting and raving and trying to keep his cool. As Max sat there crying, she heard Chloe enter too, knowing what was coming. Every little push of the door as Chloe checked the perimeter before getting down to bidness as she put it every time Max experienced it.

Before the scene could play out to the final shot, Max lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. _Screw the plans of the universe_ , she thought as she once again reached for the hammer and hit the alarm allowing Chloe to escape. It took but moments for the whole world to fade to white around Max before she was teleported back into the storm.

Chloe. Oh Chloe. Despite the hard goodbye she just had endured with Max she was leaning against the lighthouse door a calm as the Tornado drifted to the town. A long slow drag of the cigarette she held between her lips serving as her focus until Max reappeared before her eyes.

Max fell to the ground, not in the way she had been prone to do this week with nosebleeds and headaches, but purely in exhaustion. Chloe sprang from her spot against the lighthouse and ran to Max.

"What the actual fuck Max, I thought you were going to change things."

Max looked to Chloe with her doe eyes—though the fearful timid little girl that was behind them just a week earlier was replaced once more with the intense Max that everyone saw just the night before at the Vortex Club party. Max tucked the butterfly photo away and pulled out her journal and some post-it notes.

When Max finally spoke Chloe found herself shocked that gone was the blithering girl who was crying as they shared the most passionate kiss of either of their lives, but the strong one her eyes portrayed was present.

"I'm going to Chloe, I just need to finish something first."

Chloe was taken aback.

"Jesus Max, you had to come back here, you couldn't just keep rewinding until you got it done?"

Max laughed at that for a few seconds, though the last part was definitely a sob.

"I guess I didn't have time to think of that."

Even as max scribbled onto the post-it notes she knew that Chloe was staring daggers at her.

"You did not just say that Maxine Caulfield."

"Ma…" Max was about to correct Chloe, but given that it was the last time she would ever hear Chloe say her full name she just let it go.

"Max, talk to me, what are you doing?" Chloe asked looking worried.

Max finished scribbling and started attaching the post-its. "I had to make sure that everything is done right."

She held out her hand to have Chloe help pick her up. Chloe didn't hesitate for a second even as Max threw herself onto Chloe, an even more passionate kiss than the one before, fully driven by the fire that consumed max even as the tornado started to consume the town.

When the kiss broke Chloe was once again stunned. "Wowsers Max."

Max reached into her pocket and pulled out the butterfly picture.

"You hella enjoyed that Chloe."

Chloe tried to retort back but found herself speechless.

"Chloe?" Max asked much more tentatively than anything since she reappeared before Chloe.

"Yes Max?"

"I love you."

"I love you too Max." She couldn't help but let out a sob as she said it.

"And Chloe?"

Max was starting to stare intently at the picture.

"Yes Max?" Chloe asked, this time her voice breaking.

"Don't you forget about me."

Chloe's eyes went wide as she finally realized what was happening. She jumped forward to try and stop Max, to convince her to change her mind.

Max Caulfield was once again in the bathroom, her old busted camera in one hand as the butterfly picture developed. She dropped the picture to the ground and pulled out her journal, the post it notes reading "Chloe Price take this and read immediately" on the front with the scattered bookmarks throughout. She set her bag down and the journal on top of it when Nathan came into the bathroom.

She was sick and tired of the rant, but she knew this would be the absolute last time she would hear it. Max knew Nathan needed help, and even though he would suffer she hoped that he would find himself getting the help he needed. Max waited until Chloe came in and Nathan pulled out the gun, then she made her move.

Stepping out from behind the stall Max said in a very loud and firm voice, "Prescott."

Nathan turned, and instead of knocking Nathan down Chloe stood stunned. "MAX?"

Max did what she came back to do—she took a full charge at Nathan, and in his fear Nathan did exactly what she expected as the sound of a gunshot went off. Chloe screamed and Max felt nothing as her body fell to the tile floor, the bullet piercing her abdomen as she saw Chloe get hit before.

Nathan dropped the gun, absolutely stunned at what happened. Chloe screamed "MAX" even louder and went over to her former best friend, the one who just saved her life.

 _No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening._ Thought Chloe. _How fucking cruel can the universe be. First my dad, then Rachel, and I see Max for the first time in years and 3 seconds later she's dying. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._

She picked up Max's head, turning to look the brunette in those blue doe eyes she'd almost put out of her memory—almost. Chloe didn't hear as her step-douche came into the bathroom to respond to the gunshot.

Max's breathing was shallow, and with her last breaths she simply said. "Chloe, take my journal." To which Chloe nodded in a daze. "And Chloe, I love you." And with that Max Caulfield was gone.

The next few days were a blur for Chloe Price—she took the journal as Max asked and read through it. She was truly astonished by what she had read—she thought it was impossible that Max could have lived an entire week and travelled back in time but too many things fit. She left a note for David (Max's journal had convinced her that step-douche was no longer appropriate), it was simply signed MC.

Nathan confessed to his role in everything rather freely, implicating Mark Jefferson. Added to another tip from "MC" about Kate Marsh getting dosed at the Vortex Club party and about the secret bunker, Jefferson was arrested. The note also told them where Rachel was before Nathan got to that point.

Blackwell itself was in a dark place in the aftermath. Among other information Chloe shared via "MC" was that Nathan Prescott's real record was expunged in exchange for money. Principal Wells resigned immediately and the Prescott family was brought down several pegs.

Ms. Grant closed down the school for the rest of the week as interim principal.

Kate didn't try to jump, the shock of Max's heroic sacrifice as it was told around the school got her to come forward and got her to get help. With Kate's guardian Max gone, Victoria took up the mantle of protecting Kate, confessing her own part in posting and sharing Kate's video (though this might have been with a little encouragement from "MC"). In fact nearly every student got an anonymous note from MC that influenced them over the days, weeks, and years t come.

The funeral was held in Seattle though a wake was held at Blackwell with every student getting the chance to say their goodbyes. It was arranged by Chloe, there was a fire in the middle of the quad, and everyone wrote down something they wished to they could still say to Max and threw it in the fire.

Everybody participated.

Courtney: Sorry for being a bitch all the time.

Taylor: I don't know how you knew, but thanks for caring about my mom.

Juliet: Sorry I gave you such a hard time.

Dana: You were always too nice! Thank you.

Daniel: I wish I got to draw you just once.

Warren: Go Ape my friend.

Victoria: I hated that you were too cool to give a fuck what anyone thought of you—I never actually hated you.

Kate: You were the kindest person at this school. Every tea date I'll think of you.

Chloe: I love and miss you Max Caulfield. Hope you're partying with Rachel up there…

And of course, with the sacrifice the universe wanted being paid, the storm never came.


End file.
